DBS Checks Online
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An online DBS Check is a vital tool giving employers the info they need to make safe and effective recruitment decisions. For nearly 20 years, Personnel Checks have been assisting businesses across the nation to get their DBS checks. As the UK’s top-ranked DBS Umbrella Body, we understand it can be complicated. Our dedicated team provide expert advice and 5-star service to ensure a streamlined screening experience, and unlike our competitors, we have no set up fee or hidden costs. Personnel Checks are officially Government Approved as a Registered Body to process DBS checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service.
What are DBS Checks?
A DBS Check is a search carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to establish someone's criminal record history. In short, it’s a criminal record check.
Once a check is complete, the DBS produce a certificate which confirms the criminal history of that applicant (if any). This allows employers to make recruitment decisions that both safeguard their business and the public.
Previously known as CRB checks. The DBS formed after the merge of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) in December 2012.
DBS Check levels
Each level of DBS check is different. Businesses can apply for Basic, Standard or Enhanced DBS Checks for their employees/volunteers. Individuals can only apply for Basic DBS checks.
The Enhanced DBS Check shows the most information, followed by the Standard. These checks can only be carried out on eligible individuals. They are usually people carrying out ‘regulated activity’, though there are exceptions. The lowest level of check available is the Basic DBS Check. This will show any unspent convictions on a record.
Basic DBS Checks
Any business can obtain Basic DBS Checks for their staff. This check confirms if an applicant has any unspent criminal convictions on their record.
Standard DBS Checks
Standard DBS Checks are available for professions listed on the eligibility guide. These are generally roles that involve regularly working with children or vulnerable adults.
Enhanced DBS Checks
Enhanced DBS Checks contain the same PNC information as the Standard DBS certificate. They also include a check of information held locally by police forces. There is also an option to check the Child & Adult Barred Lists, if relevant. This is the most comprehensive check available.
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Enhanced DBS Checks
✔ Unspent Convictions
✔ Spent Convictions
✔ Cautions & Reprimands
✔ Final Warnings
✔ Additional info held by Police
✔ Adult & Children Barring List (Optional)
✔ Dedicated Customer Experience Team
✔ Dedicated Applicant Support Team
✔ Eligibility Checks on each application
✔ No set up fee
Standard DBS Checks
✔ Unspent Convictions
✔ Spent Convictions
✔ Cautions & Reprimands
✔ Final Warnings
✔ Dedicated Customer Experience Team
✔ Dedicated Applicant Support Team
✔ Eligibility Checks on each application
✔ No set up fee
Basic DBS Checks
✔ Unspent Convictions
✔ Dedicated Customer Experience Team
✔ Dedicated Applicant Support Team
✔ Eligibility Checks on each application
✔ No set up fee
Need a basic check for yourself?
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Frequently asked questions
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To apply for a DBS Check, you first need to be sure what level of DBS Check you need. This can vary depending on what a job role entails. Once you know this, you can contact us via this form and we can get the process started.
All we need to do is send Ts & Cs over to the right people. Once they’re signed, we can send digital DBS application forms out to your applicants and start getting the DBS checks processed.
Only employers can request Standard or Enhanced DBS Checks. If you are an individual trying to apply for a DBS Check, click here. If you want to start processing DBS Checks for your staff, click here.
If you’re a taxi or private hire driver, there are different rules. For more info, click here. -
Standard and Enhanced DBS Checks are a mandatory requirement for many jobs that are defined as ‘Regulated Activity’. In some sectors, such as healthcare, nearly all the job roles require a DBS certificate in place to be compliant.
They are available to employers so they can ensure they have all the information available to be able to make a safe and effective recruitment decision. A DBS Check will reveal whether someone is barred from working with certain demographics.
Many employers process Basic DBS Checks as a risk mitigation exercise, particularly in financial services. FCA regulations and others suggest processing these as best practice although they are rarely mandatory.
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Simply put, regulated activity is work that a barred person cannot do. It refers to certain roles generally involving children and/or vulnerable adults, such as care or teaching. It is clearly defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which has since been amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
The Disclosure and Barring Service have guidance booklets relating to roles in the Child Workforce, Adult Workforce and Other Workforce.
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A DBS Check will reveal part or all of an applicant's criminal record history dependent on whether it is an Enhanced DBS, Standard DBS or Basic DBS Check. You can find our full breakdown of what a DBS Check shows here.
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You can apply for a DBS Check yourself if you only need a Basic DBS Check. Basic DBS Checks have no eligibility criteria and are available to anyone. If you need a Basic DBS Check for yourself, you can get one here.
The Standard and Enhanced DBS Check can only be used by employers needing to make a recruitment decision on an individual who will be, or is already, engaging in regulated activity. These checks allow them to make a safe recruitment decision based upon the DBS certificate information.Individuals cannot make a recruitment decision on themselves even if they are engaging in regulated activity. If this applies to you, we suggest contacting your local authority or regulative body as they may be able to apply for a DBS Check on your behalf.
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The Disclosure and Barring Service states that any level of DBS Check can take between 6-8 weeks to complete. In our experience, they don’t generally take this long. We have broken down the average processing times of our DBS Check submissions below:
Basic DBS Check: 1 - 2 days
Standard DBS Check: 2 - 7 days
Enhanced DBS Check: 10 – 14 daysOver 50% of our Standard and Enhanced DBS Submissions are completed in 5 days or less. There is however no maximum to how long they can take. Checks can be delayed by applicant errors or external factors. You can find out more by following the links below.
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The information provided by a DBS Check isn’t affected by time. The check will examine a person's entire criminal record history. The information included on the DBS Certificate depends on whether an offence is ‘spent’ or ‘unspent’ and the level of DBS Check applied for.
Some information will always be included on a DBS Certificate, no matter how long it has been since the offence was committed.
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You can track your DBS Check online. You can find all the information you need to do this in our guide here.
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The cost of a DBS Check varies depending on which level of check is being applied for. Our list prices are:
Basic DBS Check: £39.60
Standard DBS Check: £44.40
Enhanced DBS Check: £64.40
Volunteer DBS Check: £22
What you see is what you get. We have no hidden fees and we don’t charge extra for ‘fast-track’ services that don’t exist.
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There is no way to fast-track or speed up the DBS process. All DBS Checks are subject to the same processing times. There are many screening companies out there that claim to offer a fast-track service but there is no basis for this.
There are certain things you can do which can make sure your DBS Check goes through as smoothly as possible. You can find tips in our guide here.
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All DBS Checks involve a search of the Police National Computer for any conviction information. Standard and Enhanced DBS Checks will also check any local police notes for relevant information. In some cases, Enhanced DBS Checks will also check against the Children’s or Adult’s Barred List(s).
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You cannot fail a DBS Check. A DBS Check is simply a criminal record check which, when completed, produces a certificate with an individual’s criminal record history on it.
Whether or not you gain employment based on the information provided on a DBS certificate is a different matter. An employer will need to make a safe and fair recruitment decision based on this information.
The only time a DBS Check could be ‘failed’ is if the check was submitted incorrectly, or the wrong information was provided on the form. This would invalidate the check and another would be required.
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DBS Checks are important in many industries and are mandatory for compliance with regulators. DBS Checks are also an incredibly useful tool for helping employers make safe recruitment decisions. The information they provide can help prevent you from employing people that may pose a danger to you, your business and your employees.
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DBS Checks don’t last for a specific amount of time. They have no expiry date and the information is only correct at the point of issue.
Certain industries have best practice guides on how often you should complete a new DBS Check. Most organisations tend to carry out new DBS Checks every three years. This is why many think they expire after three years.
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DBS Checks can’t be renewed but getting new checks for existing staff is commonly referred to as a renewal. We expand on this in more detail in our knowledge hub article, here.
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It is at the employer's discretion whether they are willing to accept a pre-existing DBS certificate. It is recommended that employers run checks on any new staff regardless of existing certification.
The DBS do however run a subscription service, called the DBS Update Service. For a nominal fee (13.p.a) individuals can register their DBS certificate to the Update Service and the DBS will then keep this updated with any information. Individuals can then provide this to any prospective employers.
It’s important to note that DBS certificates on the Update Service are only transferrable if the roles meet the same eligibility criteria.
You can find out more about how to sign up for the Update Service here.
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This is entirely down to the discretion of the employer that is requesting the check and the industry you are in.
In certain industries, like care and education, most people need to wait for a DBS Check to be completed before being allowed to work. This is to ensure that vulnerable individuals are safeguarded appropriately.
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According to the government, a DBS never technically expires but that doesn’t mean you only need to do one! The certificate information is only accurate up until the date of issue anything beyond this point would require an additional check.
This is why it’s recommended that employers run DBS Checks on new staff even if they’ve had a DBS Check completed recently by another company. Only a new check would determine if an offence had been committed in the interim.
Best practice is to carry out new checks on existing staff every 3 years. Certain industries mandate shorter periods between checks so it’s best to familiarise yourself with the rules in your industry to ensure compliance.
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When a DBS Check is completed the certificate is posted out directly to the applicant's current address, as it appears on the application form.
The exception to this is the Basic DBS Check. Applicants have the option to either, provide a ‘care of’ address for the certificate to be posted to, or, have the option to receive the result information only by email.
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Employers are not legally obligated to pay for any background checks they want to be completed before you start employment. However, it is definitely best practice for employers to pay for the checks they want completing.
When it comes to criminal record checks, some employers will ask applicants to pay for their DBS Check at first. They then reimburse this in your first wage. This often happens because people sometimes wait for their DBS certificate to arrive and then don’t actually start working.
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DBS Checks are designed to protect the most vulnerable members of society. This includes children and adults who are considered vulnerable due to their age, illness or disability. DBS Checks are also designed to protect employers from recruiting people who may be a danger to their business.
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When applying for a DBS Check, applicants need to provide either 2 or 3 types of documents, depending on the level of DBS Check. In most cases, DBS documents need to be the original copy as well as still being valid. You can find more information in our guide here.
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Specified offences are a type of offence which will never be filtered from a DBS Check. These are usually crimes of a serious violent or sexual nature, or are relevant for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
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Generally, the answer is that an arrest alone will not appear on a DBS check. This is because an arrest does not indicate guilt or conviction.
However, there are circumstances where certain information related to arrests might be disclosed on a DBS check. This is usually when the police feel it is relevant and necessary for an employer to be aware of before making a recruitment decision.
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Most criminal information has a rehabilitation period associated with it. Convictions will appear on a DBS Certificate until this rehabilitation period has been fulfilled. This is when a conviction becomes ‘spent’.
However, these convictions will still show on a Standard or Enhanced DBS Check, as they both show spent and unspent convictions.
Certain convictions, known as specified offences, will never be removed from a DBS.
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Personnel Checks are officially Government Approved as a Registered Body to process DBS checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
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